National Apprenticeship Week 2024

Learn more about apprenticeships in the Trust, collaboration at place and within the region

Apprenticeships can help guide people into an NHS career that is right for them and improve their employability. They offer opportunities to increase diversity in the workforce and support the organisation in being more representative of the communities that it cares for. We offer Apprenticeships at entry level, such as Health Care Support Worker (HSW) posts in our Mental Health and Learning Disability Services. By choosing an apprenticeship with us, you will gain a diploma qualification in Adult Social Care, a wealth of experience and hands-on knowledge.

We work with partners across the city and wider area, including The Lifelong Learning Centre, Buttercups Training, and the Yorkshire Ambulance Service, to help create and share these opportunities with their communities.

Ania Malec – Client Services Coordinator at Buttercups Training

“Since 2014, Buttercups Training has worked closely with Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to meet the training requirements of its pharmacy team and support the learning objectives and development of their employees.

It’s always been a pleasure to witness the learners of both the apprenticeship and non-apprenticeship programmes thriving in their roles whilst completing their training with us. And it fills us with joy and gratitude to know that we get to be a part of their learning journey. Our biggest ally in ensuring that the learners at the Trust have everything they need to successfully complete their training is the remarkable team of the Workplace Training Supervisors and Organisational Development Department at the Trust.

Buttercups Training is honoured to be working closely with Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. It is because of this partnership of over a decade that we’ve had the opportunity to support some truly outstanding apprentices at the Trust, who have successfully completed their apprenticeship programme and gone on to become exceptional and highly competent registered Pharmacy Technicians with a vision to support their local communities as well as the wider sector.”

We use apprenticeships to meet organisational and system objectives, upskilling the workforce in a variety of clinical and non-clinical skills, including digital and leadership skills. Encouraging internal development through apprenticeships can improve staff retention, upskill employees, support career advancement, and address hard-to-fill positions. We have provided entry level (GCSE) to degree level development via apprenticeships across a wide range of roles.

Dr Paul Smith, Higher and Degree Apprenticeships Manager, Lifelong Learning Centre at the University of Leeds, discusses the relationship with the Trust.

“The Lifelong Learning Centre at the University of Leeds is proud to work with Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYPFT) to support apprentices on their learning and career journey.

LYPFT’s commitment to workforce development and delivery of safe and compassionate care for service users and their families is demonstrated by apprentices in their first weeks in university when they apply their prior knowledge and experience in classroom-based discussions and assignments.

Apprentices from LYPFT are supported to enhance their clinical skills throughout their apprenticeship and have access to practice based learning. Work-based assessors and supervisors collaborating with the University of Leeds programme team support apprentices in developing and achieving the knowledge, skills, and behaviours required to deliver safe and effective care. Upon successful completion of the apprenticeship programme, the LYPFT apprentices can proceed to become Registered Nursing Associates.”

Yorkshire Ambulance Service

During 2023, Leeds & York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust helped support apprenticeships in the NHS Yorkshire Ambulance Service using levy transfer. The transfer funded training for 17 of their Ambulance Support workers in the vital skills and knowledge required to support the wider NHS community.

Carole, Quality Resource Co-ordinator for WYAS, said, “This support is a vital part of our apprenticeship strategy and allows us to maximise the use of our levy to increase our apprentice numbers. Our ambulance apprentices fulfil a vital, front-line role for safe, effective, responsive, and person-centred out-of-hospital emergency care whilst undertaking their apprenticeship.

Your levy transfers allow us to put more staff on the front line to respond to emergency calls and provide patient care.

As you know, our ambulance career path provides a pipeline of future Paramedics. Following the Level 3 Ambulance Support Worker apprenticeship, staff can progress to the Level 4 Associate Ambulance Practitioner apprenticeship and then onto the Degree level Paramedic Apprenticeship. This fantastic progression route built on apprenticeships greatly benefits our staff and service.”

At LYPFT, we have seen how apprenticeships can offer numerous benefits to Trusts. We have been working collaboratively to ensure that we can address the skills shortages in the organisation and the wider area. Collaborative apprenticeship cohorts with Leeds Health and Care Academy partners have enabled local health and care organisations to access programmes that would have otherwise been non-viable. Collaboration has facilitated the effective use of our organisation’s levy funding to support the wider system. Collaborative working has also helped us make significant progress towards the achievement of our organisations and the city’s workforce and apprenticeship goals.